{"article":{"id":3681,"heading":"Twelve Ways to Democratize the U.S. Political System: Eleventh","author":"David Hanks for Global Exchange","created":"2000-09-06 22:18:55","modified":"2005-08-15 00:28:56","last_modified":"Mon, 15 Aug 2005 07:28:56","article":"<p>11. Make voting easy.  <br><br> Politicians tell us that the U.S. is the world's leading democracy, but most countries have higher rates of voter turnout. Only 38% of eligible voters participated in the 1998 elections--and only 17.4% voted in the 1998 primaries. Apathy and cynicism increasingly threaten our democracy. Voter apathy is caused by a confluence of factors, including corporate control of politics through campaign contributions, lack of diversity in parties and candidates, and logistical hurdles to voting. Voter registration should be easy, available until the day before an election, and automatic every time we move. We should have voter identification cards--not driver's licenses--as our primary means of citizen identification. Voter registration drives should reach out to register people in communities of color and poor communities who have been traditionally marginalized from the electoral process. Voting day should be a national holiday, or on the weekend.<\/p>\n","contact":"david@globalexchange.org","link":"www.globalexchange.org\/democracy\/index.html","address":"2017 Mission Street, San Francisco CA 94110","phone":"415-558-9486x237","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","summary":"11. Make voting easy.","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2000\/09\/marchubnscp.jpg","filesize":"21.2 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2000\/09\/3681.php","image":{"original":"\/uploads\/2000\/09\/marchubnscp.jpg","small":"\/uploads\/2000\/09\/marchubnscp.jpgthumb.jpg"}},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}